


Coffee and Red Bull Slammer

by chasethewind



Series: 10 Fics in 10 Days [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:23:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5474339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: how about a fic where oliver and felicity are in a 7 am class together in college and one of them sees the other pour an energy drink into coffeee and say “im gonna die” then drink it all. Ive seen this fic idea on tumblr before but i havent seen it done for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee and Red Bull Slammer

Seven AM classes were always brutal, especially after nights of binge drinking and heavy partying. Oliver Queen knew that all too well. Last night's rager had him knocking back ibuprofen like it was candy that morning. The headache pounding behind his eyes made it almost impossible to get out of bed, let alone get dressed and try to look presentable. So here he was, still in green flannel pajama pants and a white t-shirt under his favorite green hoodie, his head resting against the cool desk he usually sat at in the back of the room, and the clock ticking away the seconds until it was time to go back to his apartment so he could take a nap before his next class at noon.

If it hadn't been for the test that morning, he wouldn't be here right now. Oliver still couldn't understand why he'd agreed to go to that frat party with Tommy the night before. He knew today's test was important, yet the lure of endless booze and pretty girls had snapped his concentration. Now, not only did he have the worst hangover of all time, he was probably also going to fail organic chemistry, undoubtedly the hardest class he'd ever taken in his life.

Again, Oliver wondered what had possessed him to do it. His major was business, not science. Yes, he still needed a science credit in order to complete one of his prerequisites, but organic chemistry? The class was far beyond the scope of his knowledge, far beyond the scope of his  _comprehension in general_. He massaged his temples with his fingers, hoping the headache would bate just long enough for him to complete whatever he could in order to get a D, then he could go home and sleep it off.

A groan from a few feet to his left forced Oliver to lift his head and look in the direction from which it came. Beside him sat someone just as pathetic looking as himself: disheveled blonde hair in a messy ponytail, powder pink pajama pants with little rainbows all over them, and a thick black hoodie covering what had to be the tiniest woman he'd ever laid eyes one. She wore stylish glasses, had no makeup on, and held a twenty ounce coffee in one hand and a sixteen ounce Red Bull in the other.

Popping the top of the Red Bull can, she pulled a massive Big Gulp cup out of her bag and poured both the coffee and the energy drink into it. The sight made Oliver cringe. He watched her sigh deeply, closing her eyes for a moment before they opened again. She looked around to find him staring at her and smiled. God, she was so pretty when she smiled. He couldn't help but smile back as she raised her plastic cup to him and cheerfully saying, "I'm gonna die." Then she slammed the entire thing, drinking it down in less than a minute.

She made a disgusted face after putting the cup down. The belch that followed made Oliver's jaw drop as she added, "Pardon me, but I think I just drank tar…" He was about to ask her why she'd done it, but it was as if she'd read his mind. "I'm never listening to Sara again when she suggests what to drink in order to stay awake long enough to pass a test. That was absolutely disgusting. I'm pretty sure it was worse than the time Bobby Spencer dared me to drink a cement mixer on my birthday. I almost puked. Sorry! That was T. M. I. Although you kinda look like you're gonna puke. And that was incredibly rude. I'm pretty sure all this talking is a result of what I just drank so I'm gonna try to shut up in three… two… one…"

She took a long, deep breath, releasing it slowly. Oliver simply stared at her, completely dumbfounded and captivated by the adorable little nerd that had just babbled away the last few minutes before class started. He couldn't help but smile. There was just something about her, something that immediately drew him into her orbit and made him want to stay there. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted to find out.

"My name is Felicity, by the way," she added, using her finger to push her glasses back up her nose.

"Oliver," he replied, his voice sounding a little hoarse and scruffy, a little like his face that morning since he hadn't bothered to shave either.

"Well, Oliver, I wish you the best of luck on your test," Felicity said, giving him a wide smile just as the professor began handing out the exam packet.

"You too," Oliver returned with a smile of his own. He vowed to keep an eye on her that morning. There was something about drinking a massive coffee and a large Red Bull that made him slightly worried for her well being.

Every five minutes, he'd glance in Felicity's direction, watching as she rapidly wrote down her answers before turning back to his own paper. At one point, he heard her pencil drop onto the lacquered desktop and looked over to see her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to steady her breathing as her hand rested above her heart. For a moment, Oliver thought something was wrong, and he was about to get up to tell their professor when her eyes opened and she sighed in what looked like relief. Grabbing her pencil once more, she continued with her test, scribbling wildly as she answered the next question on her test.

Two hours had passed by the time Felicity dropped her pencil again, only this time it was because she'd completed her test. Oliver had gotten through a little over half of it, and he would have stayed until the professor called time if he hadn't seen Felicity trip and stumble forward, the desk she accidentally pushed aside screeching their metal legs across the linoleum floor and making everyone who was still in the room stare up at her.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she repeated, a bright red blush coloring her face as she hung her head low and hurried to the professor's desk. Handing him the test, she scurried back to her seat and began to gather her things only to drop one thing after another onto the floor.

Oliver decided to call it quits then. He knew he wasn't passing this test or this class, so he got up, handed in his work, and returned to give her a hand. Felicity had already managed to stuff her pencil case into her already full bag, hoisting it up on her shoulders before stumbling and nearly losing her balance. He caught her by the arm just before she toppled over and disturbed anymore people still trying to finish their exams. He continued to hold onto her even after she shot him a grateful glance.

They left the room together, Oliver's hand on her elbow guiding her out the door and into the hall while she swayed back and forth, her large, heavy book bag doing her no favors. As soon as they reached the double doors that led outside, he heard Felicity mumble, "I think that was a bad idea." Her body lurched forward, but before she could fall onto her face, he caught her by the strap of her backpack and pulled her into his chest.

When Oliver turned her around in his arms, he found Felicity unconscious. His heart began to race as he reached for her neck, his fingers finding a pulse point to make sure the coffee and Red Bull concoction hadn't given her a heart attack. The beat felt strong and steady beneath his fingertips. Oliver quickly removed her backpack, swinging it onto his shoulders before scooping her up into his arms and quickly carrying her to his parked car only a few feet away. (Ah, the privileges of being wealthy and having your family's name on one of the buildings; he was allowed to park wherever he pleased without getting a ticket from campus security.)

He rushed Felicity to the hospital, allowing the doctors and nurses to assess her instead of relying on his non-existent medical knowledge. They ran several tests, concluding she was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration and that what she'd had to drink that day had probably overloaded her system before it crashed. Although she would be okay after a few days of rest, Oliver still worried about her in general. He didn't know anything about the woman still fast asleep on the hospital bed in front of him aside from the fact that they were in the same class. He didn't know where she lived or who her friends were or even her last name for that matter. All he knew was that he couldn't leave her alone and that he'd stay at least until she woke up.

Oliver settled into the chair beside the hospital bed and pulled out his phone, intent on beating another level of Candy Crush, but then he heard a moan from the woman beside him and immediately looked up. Sparkling blue eyes, eyes he hadn't gotten a chance to stare into that morning, stared back at him now.

"What happened?" Felicity mumbled. "Where am I?"

Leaning forward as he placed his phone in his pocket, Oliver replied, "You passed out after taking the organic chemistry test so I took you to the hospital."

She groaned, placing her hand on her forehead as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I am never,  _ever_  listening to Sara whenever she gives me tips on how to stay awake after studying for a test all night," she said. Her eyes shot open as she asked, "Am I okay? Did I have a heart attack? Because, I swear, it seriously felt like I was having one as soon as I finished that test."

Oliver smiled. "No, you're fine. Just exhausted and dehydrated. The doctor said you could go home as soon as you woke up," he answered.

"Oh, thank god," Felicity sighed. She began pushing the blankets off her feet, intent on getting out of there before she stopped. "Um… Where are my clothes?"

"Here," Oliver replied, handing her a plastic bag. The nurses had changed her into a gown as soon as they'd gotten to the emergency room and had given him the bag with her things in it. He immediately left the room to give her privacy and went to find a nurse.

Not even twenty minutes later, they were back in his car, this time with a fully awake Felicity, headed back to campus. "I'm sorry if I made you miss class today," she quietly apologized as she stared out the window to her right.

"It's fine. I seriously doubt I would have made it anyway. Last night's party had me wishing I hadn't had so much to drink," Oliver said.

"Oh, my god! Now I feel even worse!" Felicity replied.

"No, don't! It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it. Honestly, I was happy to help you."

With her face in her hands, she shook her head. "This is so embarrassing," she muttered.

"Hey, it's okay," Oliver said, gently placing his hand on her forearm and giving it a squeeze. Felicity glanced up at him. A smile had made its way to her lips, brightening her face.

"Thank you," she replied. "I appreciate what you did for me."

"You're welcome."

They pulled into the parking lot of the science building where they'd taken their test. Both Oliver and Felicity hopped out of the car, and as he helped her with her bag, he spotted her flushed skin and immediately began to worry that they'd left the hospital too soon, but she quickly eased his mind when she asked, "Would you… maybe… like to… have dinner with me… this weekend? You know, so I can thank you for making sure I was okay and taking me to the hospital."

A smile crept onto his lips as Oliver replied, "Yeah, I would like that." She grabbed his phone out of the cup holder in the center console of his car and quickly typed in her number then sent a text to herself.

After handing it back to him, they stood there for a few more minutes, simply staring at each other with wide, toothy grins on their faces. Oliver could feel this was the start of something new and exciting for him. Even though he knew little about Felicity, he couldn't wait to find out more.

"I, um… I should probably get going," Felicity stuttered.

"Yeah, no, me too," Oliver agreed, but they lingered.

Felicity nodded and began to walk away, but she turned suddenly, and before he knew what was happening, she ran up to him and pressed a soft kiss to his scruffy cheek. "Bye, Oliver," she called to him before scampering off in the direction of the dorms.

He definitely couldn't wait for Saturday.


End file.
